"You... You don't have a home?" The black-haired woman turned onto a road without any knowledge of where she was driving. It was specifically for having a conversation with Sara about the matters at hand. Her level of direction decreased much more once the blonde revealed she had no house to look forward to.

"No... I don't... it's usually people taking me to their home..."

"But..." her heart was slowly breaking into two halves inside her chest. She was scared they would start falling through the insides of her body. "Where do you stay when you're not mingling for a ride?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Anywhere that's filled with good sleeping choices, like, the park has many benches to sleep on."

The black-haired nodded her head even if she did not agree with Sara lounging outside on a bench, but she had another idea in mind. That set her to gain her sense of direction once more. "Right. I will be taking you to a hotel then. There is no fee necessary, I'll pay for it all," she shifted her gears into reverse, attempting to turn her car around. It took a few more tries to straighten the car before rolling back on the road.

"Wait, wait, huh? No, you don't have to do this. We can buy drinks together and then you can drop me off at a park or something..." her words sent alarms to Sara's head, she didn't understand why the woman was being stubborn all of a sudden.

"I will not be doing that. I have already taken the turn, so that's where we're going."

"But... the drinks?"

"I don't care about that. Helping you is more important at the moment."

Sara couldn't believe this plot twist, well, she saw it as a plot twist. The black-haired woman had a different perspective, she saw an act of kindness delivered to a woman in need. "That's a lot of money! You've already paid me enough by driving me," The blonde continued to be stubborn-headed, her mental actions overpower her brain which results in fighting back.

"Even if it's the last of what I had, I'd still help you get a chance to rest on a bed."

"Some people paid me for those nights. I can pay you back, p-please?" She reached for the zipper of her boot, zipping it down to reveal dollar bills stuffed in the heel.

The black-haired female ignored the offer. "We have a ways to go, but once I book your room, you're going to make a difference for yourself. Instead of shameless acts with strangers or sleeping out in the cold, you're going to apply for a job and make a better life for yourself. That will be my payment if you want to repay me so badly."

Sara was barricaded from every angle. The other woman was driving, so no escaping and she couldn't get her to stop so they had to keep moving forward. She had no choice but to allow the female to help her... unless she was convinced otherwise.

"Then why can't you drop me off now if you want me to make a difference? I can find a job that way."

"Because. Looking for a job in a hotel is better than looking for a job on the street. It's okay to have a little cash to start you off, especially in your situation," the black-haired woman spins the steering wheel, taking another turn on a more crowded street. The looks of the town gives off lighthearted vibes for such a despicable conversation being presented. Lively people popped from ever corner, disregarding the crisp nighttime.

"I guess I see your point... though—" the blonde female was sagely cut off by her female peer. "Nothing you say will change my mind, so do not try me. If you want to continue to fight against it then be my guest, but I will be booking your room no matter what," as time went by, the black-haired felt tired of arguing with the woman, seemingly not catching a break. She simply wanted to stand Sara on her own two feet again, she was too far in.

With a defeated sigh, Sara gave in. She had no more comebacks or pleas, she only had silence to offer; more silence. This lead to both women preserving silence. The only sounds heard was the car's tires strolling against the tiny rocks in the road. It was obvious both women wanted a good nights rest.

"...You... you're right. I never thought I'd be arguing with a stranger like you, but here we are."

"Luckily, it's not with... the wrong person. There are extremely dangerous people out there, Sara. Hopefully, you know that much."

"I know now either way."

"By the way, I forgot to mention this but do you have any close friends you could talk to?"

Sara shook her head side to side. "No, they all went their separate ways."

"Not even a phone call?"

"Nope. Jobs can keep you busy, so they never had any time to chat."

"I guess that makes sense. I understand them."

"That's one of the reasons I hitchhiked. People kept leaving me, people kept moving, so I decided to find people another way."

"So, you do it for attention?"

"You could say that, yeah. And for a good time."

"Well, hopefully after this car ride you learned not to do that. You do not need to grab someone's attention with a short skirt and fluttery eyes, you can capture their attention by just being yourself."

"Being myself, huh?"

"I'll be biased to say I have trouble with this one, but that doesn't mean you have to."

Sara nodded her head instead of shaking it. The other woman must of had a similar feud with herself and that was figuring out who she was. It takes time to find out your true personality or... your likes and dislikes. Hell, it could take you your whole life, but that's okay. Sara will be okay if she follows the female's advice.

"This is our stop." The blonde looked up to be greeted by a building with cars rowed in the parking lot. The black-haired female found a snug place to park, however, she was further away from the main entrance. "Stay here, Sara, I'm going to get you your card," she casually said before locking the car doors, using her keys to maneuver the locks.

A part of the blonde wanted to unlock the door and run away since she was very much stubborn, but most of her being wanted to stay in the car and look around, so she did just as that. She paid no mind to the back seat of the black-hair's car, she had no motion to even glance back. She noticed this once she did observe the scene. The only material she found was a box setting on the right seat across her view, filled with various cat pictures. A portable camera rested in the floor board, carefully placed so it would not be damaged. Judging from the materials, she inferred the other woman loved photography... and cats?

I guess that's an adorable little hobby unless... this was her job. Then by all means it is still adorable.

A few minutes have passed by and the black-haired was walking back to her car, noticing Sara was sitting in the same place from when she left. She mentally noted in her brain that the blonde was not going to run away.

"I'm back. Sorry if it took longer than expected, but I got your card." With no hesitation, Sara held her newly card in between her finger tips, so she could speculate the front. It plastered the name of the hotel onto the card along with her room number and sensory on the back. The black-haired adjusted herself in her own car while the other female was admiring the details presented.

"You have a week to stay here, alright? Please try to better yourself during it. I'll be off now."

The blonde female untangles herself from her strangling seatbelt to finally reach the car door handle. Before she left out the door, she brought the other female into a hug. "Thank you. Even after arguing... still... thank you so much..."

"Oh," the black-haired woman hesitated to hug her back, but she eventually reciprocated her hug. "It's not a problem. Take care of yourself."

Sara was the first one to release from the hug, she did not want to hold up the woman any longer because of her gratitude, it was time to say goodbye. "Will... I ever see you again?"

The black-haired shook her head, slightly lowering her head downwards. "Probably not. I... don't usually come this way to get to work so, it's a small chance." She didn't agree with the disappointed facial expression on Sara's face. She felt guilty, however, she wasn't feeling completely dreaded by the idea of helping this woman. In fact, she felt proud for doing so.

"Oh... Well, thank you again for everything. I will never forgot this moment," she was about to close the door and start heading to her room when all of a sudden she remembered something else. "Oh, uh, you never told me your name."

"Oh, right, I suppose I never did," the black-haired woman quirked up one of her black-shaded eyebrows at the blonde. "I don't think it's worth mentioning. Regardless of the value, it's Karina Rivardo if you want to know so badly."

Sara's mouth gaped at the sound of Karina's tongue rolling off the roof of her mouth. It created a different meaning while saying her name.

"Karina? Well, I hope you have a great rest of your night, Karina. Also, I wish you good luck on your cat pictures."

"Wha—?" Stammering from embarrassment, Karina was caught off guard by the last part. She wasn't one to showcase her career without the use of her cards, let alone the side hobby she began a few months ago. "Uh, thanks... I guess..."

The conversation finally ceased the night when Sara marched herself out of the car, waving at the other woman in the driver seat. She waved her hand in the air back before backing out of the parking lot to finally slide across the road again.

To Sara, it was sad to see her drive away from her person, but she had no choice to stand there and stare. She started to walk towards the main entrance of the building, having a knowing thought her and Karina will most likely never see each other again.

Regardless, she was compelled to making a change for herself. Like Karina told her, she should get a job or at least try to find one. During this week the blonde wanted to make time for herself and go searching. She did not want to waste the week away slacking off on her bed, she wanted to do what she could during seven days.

It was going to take time... but... it was something. Something to work on.

AN: Sara is 23 and Karina is 22 (as in this part of the story).